NMUN•NY 2019 24-28 March 2019 Documentation of the Work of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Conference A United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Committee Staff Director Omar Torres-Vasquez Assistant Director Athiang Makuoi Chair Joschua Vogt Rapporteur Jason Waye

Agenda I. The Role of Information and Communications Technology in Industrial Development II. Promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production III. Empowering Women through Entrepreneurship

Resolutions adopted by the Committee Code Topic Vote UNIDO/1/1 The Role of Information and 37 votes in favour, 0 votes Communications Technology in against, 2 abstentions Industrial Development UNIDO/1/2 The Role of Information and Passed by without a vote Communications Technology in Industrial Development UNIDO/1/3 The Role of Information and 31 votes in favour, 3 votes Communications Technology against, 5 abstentions Industrial Development UNIDO/1/4 The Role of Information and 31 votes in favour, 2 votes Communications Technology in against, 6 abstentions Industrial Development

Summary Report

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization held its annual session to consider the following agenda items:

I. The Role of Information and Communications Technology in Industrial Development II. Promoting Sustainable Production and Consumption III. Empowering Women Through Entrepreneurship

The session was attended by representatives of 39 Member States.

On Sunday, the committee began discussions on the three topics presented before them and promptly adopted the agenda order of I, II, III, beginning with the first topic of “The Role of Information Communications Technology in Industrial Development.”

During Monday’s session, the committee engaged in speeches and dialogue as the body actively formed their working groups to create viable solutions on the topic at hand. By Tuesday morning, the Dais had received a total of seven working papers that focused on proposals such as, capacity-building, education, e-waste management, information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, and the expansion of technologies for development in rural areas. With immense collaboration from the committee, the number of working papers present on the floor was brought to four by the end of the evening session.

On Wednesday, the committee had four draft resolutions accepted by the Dais. The delegates enthusiastically supported the importance of the role of communication technologies in social and economic development. The committee adopted four resolutions, including one adopted by acclamation. The body was highly engaged throughout the week while enthusiastically collaborating with each other through negotiations, dialogue, and alignment of the spirit of the UN and the work of UNIDO.

Code: UNIDO/1/1 Committee: United Nations Industrial Development Organization Topic: The Role of Information and Communication Technology in Industrial Development

1 The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2 3 Observing the fast-growing importance of the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in 4 the conduct of business affairs, 5 6 Examining the lack of exposure to external market and few domestic forums which reduces the visibility 7 into new technology and scale of business to developing Member States, 8 9 Considering the access of Internet to be a human right as revised in Article 19 of the Universal 10 Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948), 11 12 Acknowledging the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015), particularly Goal 9.5 to enhance 13 scientific research and upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries 14 particularly developing countries, 15 16 Having considered internet subscriptions increased from 6% in 2000 to 43% of the world population in 17 2017 according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), 18 19 Calling for action to promote development-oriented ICT applications for all, in particular the use of ICT by 20 Small- and Medium Enterprises (SME) to foster innovation, realize gains in productivity, reduce 21 transaction costs and combat poverty which discussed policies to promote e-business and international 22 trade in developing countries, 23 24 Highlighting the need to push for further adoption of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, by the 25 incorporation of Citizen Design Science in ICT development and urban integration, 26 27 Guided by the past treaties and conventions concerning the environment and sustainable development 28 with the Lima Declaration (1975), 29 30 Recognizing the lack of access to modern education on business development and the use of ICTs for 31 the driving of business and self-employment, 32 33 Acknowledging the example of the Entrepreneurship Curriculum Programme (ECP) and the need to 34 improve the performance of businesses in entrepreneurial actions, 35 36 Fully aware of the need for international communities’ efforts to mitigate the risks to privacy and the safe 37 infrastructures of networks, 38 39 Further Recognizing that female participation in economic life holds an immense economic potential for 40 economic growth in order to combat poverty in the long term and that through the expansion of ICT 41 technologies, especially in banking and finance, women can be empowered to participate, e.g. in the form 42 of micro-credits, 43 44 Reaffirming the principles of the Guidelines for the Regulations of Computerized Personal Data Files 45 adopted by the General Assembly through resolution 45/95 in 1990, 46 47 Recalling concrete action proposed by the United Nations ICT Task Force and the United Nations 48 Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as they have built expertise on specific e-commerce 49 and e-business issues, the impact on SME competitiveness, or free and open source software, 50 51 Paying gratitude to the UNGA 66/288 resolution adopted in 2012 called “The Future We Want” which is 52 focused on the promotion of cooperation between Member States and the effective usage of modern 53 technologies, 54 55 1. Urges the importance of leadership through a combination of domestic, regional, and national 56 cooperation, with the example of the ICT Competitiveness in Africa, including exposure to a two-way 57 street with experts provided by local universities and academics, into country forums, designed to 58 respect each Member States’ freedom to implement discussions as seen fit; 59 60 2. Encourages examples of partnerships such as those employed by Microsoft and the Leaders Forum 61 Africa of 2006, with the work of supporting SMEs for the ability to foster greater innovation and 62 competitiveness with the use of ICTs and promoting sustainable industrialization; 63 64 3. Recommends that Citizen Design Science, created to be a collective and participatory approach to 65 engage and include citizens through integrative online design tools in the planning process along with 66 e-participation, be utilized at all stages of urban and industrial development by: 67 68 a. Ensuring that a combination of human observation and experiences are incorporated into a 69 framework to improve the development, design, and management of cities, ICTs, and 70 industry; 71 72 b. Integrating citizen-driven driven flows of data and information in the hope to better improve 73 the functioning and planning of cities and transport systems by: 74 75 i. Installing intelligent systems to collect data for forecasts, in the course of optimizing 76 urban development; 77 ii. Utilization of data for efficient traffic control and improved mobility; 78 iii. Implementing intelligent systems for energy generation, supply, and storage; 79 iv. Implementing resource-efficient systems to supply potable water supply and 80 sustainable use as guided by SDG 6; 81 v. Using and storing solar energy for efficient energy supply; 82 vi. Installation of urban forestation; 83 vii. Using intelligent systems for maintenance purposes; 84 viii. Introducing efficient demand-oriented lighting of cities in order to save energy and 85 reduce light pollution; 86 87 c. Approaching the development of ICT with citizens at its center and prioritizing areas of 88 change particularly in the development of urbanizing regions in middle-income and Least 89 Developed Countries (LDCs) by: 90 91 i. Geospatial tracking; 92 ii. Urban sensors usage; 93 iii. Citizen self-reporting experiences; 94 iv. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into city planning; 95 96 4. Supports the acceleration of infrastructure construction in the domestic mobile and network fields by: 97 98 a. Encouraging an integrated strategy between the private sector and public sector in order to 99 transform technical work to policy making and building upon the UNIDO-Ericcson “Industry at 100 the Edge” cooperation of 2000 to help rural areas enter the worldwide digital marketplace; 101 b. Developing innovative applications like the UNIDO PHAROS Software Suite 2016 for the now 102 widespread mobile phone platforms; 103 104 5. Incentivizes best practice sharing and technological transfers to ensure LDCs by: 105 106 a. Reaffirming the importance to enable SMEs to access to sensory technology, which is an 107 efficient way of collecting and redistributing data; 108 109 b. Emphasizing strongly implementation of global data exchange platform between developing 110 countries and developed countries; 111 112 c. Utilizing the Technology Facilitation Mechanism as outlined in the Addis Ababa Action 113 Agenda (2015) to help foster ICT growth; 114 115 d. Designing the use of AI machines to learn the algorithms for in-depth data analysis; 116 117 e. Reminding more developed countries to foster the growth and innovation of developing SMEs 118 within existing resources; 119 120 6. Suggests that SMEs introduce outsourcing businesses in accordance with the General Assembly 121 61/254 report, considering benefits of outsourcing business, reduce the indirect costs and improving 122 SME evolution in quality and efficiency by: 123 124 a. Encouraging countries to lower the prices of ICT companies’ licenses in order to help their 125 growth; 126 127 b. Affirms the need for helping the development of specialized industries in order to create jobs; 128 129 7. Implores governments to focus resources on the development of SMEs in: 130 131 a. Reminding more developed countries to foster the growth and innovation of developing SMEs 132 within existing resources; 133 134 b. Recognizing the importance of giving the proper resources in ICT’s matters in order for SMEs 135 to develop and enter the global market; 136 137 c. Further inviting banks and institutions to form projects to collaborate with SMEs to assist with 138 financial related issues; 139 140 8. Confirms that Member States should use domestic resources combined with Official Development 141 Assistance (ODA) to strengthen ICTs and enhance global growth; 142 143 9. Affirms the collaboration between UNIDO and Member States to create and develop a local software 144 industry by: 145 146 a. Establishing a transportation network for the delivery of software products; 147 148 b. Promoting large enterprises to operate facilities in rural areas; 149 150 10. Endorses the implementation of smart common transportation developed in many countries by: 151 152 a. Ensuring there is an existing industrial chair on smart urban networks in as many Member 153 State’s universities; 154 155 b. Developing digital sensor technology in urban and suburban parking and transferring data for 156 local transportation in order to increase efficiency in residential and supply chain mobility by: 157 158 i. Allowing local authorities to assess common transportation needs; 159 ii. Triggering increased access to public transportation and the reduction of commuting 160 traffic; 161 162 c. Disseminating soft transportation in developing urban areas such as cable transports, 163 exemplified in Medellin and Rio de Janeiro; 164 165 11. Popularizes a new concept of a high-tech park to all the nations with a special tax and legal regime, 166 which will contribute to the favorable development of ICTs business with the goal of: 167 168 a. Stimulating the ICT development in the economy and increasing the competitiveness of 169 national technological market; 170 171 b. ICT development based on modern scientific and technological achievements; 172 173 c. Creating modern infrastructure for further pursuit of research and development and 174 implementation of new technologies in the country; 175 176 12. Noting the work of developers of vertical forests, which are high-rise residential and commercial 177 buildings and other skyscrapers that integrate plants and greenery that help cities improve their air 178 quality, as well as encouraging the entrepreneurship of sustainable and innovative development for 179 urban areas, with the eventual use of ICTs and artificial intelligence to maximize efficiency and 180 sustainability through: 181 182 a. Expanding the established agribusiness and value chain development projects supported by 183 UNIDO to also implement urban and suburban agriculture development; 184 185 b. Including partnership with industry with the purpose of creating sustainable employment in 186 underdeveloped urban and suburban areas; 187 188 c. Encouraging the qualified horticulture specialists that are able to be employed; 189 190 13. Recognizing the need to harness and enhance the use of off-the-grid renewable energy technologies 191 to produce power for use in domestic lighting and productive income generating applications in rural 192 areas by: 193 194 a. Popularizing innovative technologies such as renewable energy business information 195 centers; 196 197 b. Implementing Community Power Centers (CPCs) or "Energy Kiosk" which is a community 198 managed, decentralized electrical energy service center powered by renewable energy 199 technologies; 200 201 14. Emphasizing the need to refine ICT supply chain in order to strengthen the development of SMEs that 202 stream suppliers adopt the use of informative technology, the downstream retailers can have better 203 control over the inventory flow; 204 205 15. Encourages developing Member States to adopt new technologies in civil organizations such as 206 education, health care, criminal justice by: 207 208 a. Taking advantage of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to reinforce identification of 209 contractual parties with immutable digital signatures; 210 211 b. Securing health care databases and distribution systems with the blockchain platform to 212 specifically view medical history and transactions in accordance with Article 22 of the 213 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006); 214 215 c. Preserving and protecting personal data and signatures using DLTs; 216 217 16. Confirms the need for multi-stakeholder investment programs supporting physical and technological 218 urban infrastructure and the role of UNIDO for oversight as well as, technical and economic capacity 219 building by: 220 221 a. Establishing a working group to focus on urban and suburban transportation and industrial 222 development partnerships using innovative technology targeting middle-income and LDCs 223 which would: 224 225 i. Develop data processing and analysis techniques which leverage established UNIDO 226 information databases and share derived best practices with urban development 227 stakeholders; 228 ii. Create partnerships for infrastructure and ICT development and manage stakeholder 229 commitment and dialogue for context-driven urban development; 230 231 17. Focuses on a multi-scalar cooperation that includes the private sector, including passed agreements 232 with Ericsson, HP, Microsoft, government initiatives and multilateral UN institutional tools, such as 233 Investment fund and South-South cooperation, in order to work on different scales of policy making 234 through: 235 236 a. Establishing institutions that provide safe loans for SMEs to ensure they have the capital to 237 compete with established enterprises, similar to the Polish Agency for Enterprise 238 Development, which provides safe loans to make SMEs more competitive; 239 240 b. Encouraging every nation should own more than two mobile operators to incentivize 241 competition to avoid monopoly of ICTs; 242 243 18. Encourages Member States to develop, strengthen, and enhance the competitiveness of the ICT 244 sector by: 245 246 a. Noting the e-ASEAN framework objectives which seeks to develop, strengthen, and enhance 247 the competitiveness of the ICT sector; 248 249 b. Defining clear, specific and measurable goals to better assess the level of achievement of 250 these implementation activities; 251 252 c. Improving the resources planning in order to allocate appropriate resources to each of the 253 initiatives; 254 255 19. Intends to support the creation and growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises in urban and 256 suburban areas through: 257 258 a. Creating an investment model through established working groups which will include 259 previously developed expertise in: 260 261 i. Business models based on successful circular economies; 262 ii. Oversight of investment mechanisms and equitable business partnerships; 263 iii. Partnerships between national, international and private organizations; 264 265 b. Providing technical support to public and private sector partners to create integrated urban 266 industries and infrastructures which center on sharing information and technology for mutual 267 supported growth, and the establishment of networked databases and communication 268 platforms that promote citizen well-being, increased efficiency, and inclusive and sustainable 269 industrial development; 270 271 20. Further recommends each Member State to assist schools and education facilities to refine ICT 272 knowledge for rural areas by: 273 274 a. Promoting computer science as the conduit for industrial development in ICTs; 275 276 b. Approving the facilitation of the development of specific professional roles in ICTs; 277 278 21. Draws attention to the integration of the Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Strategy 279 2016-2019 (GC.16/8) reporting and evaluation protocol into the partnerships facilitated to develop 280 urban ICT sectors and infrastructure by empowering women in the expansion of ICT technologies, 281 especially in banking and finance and the facilitation of micro-credits; 282 283 22. Calls for policymaking to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas, especially in 284 developing Member States, where the divide is the most important by: 285 286 a. Providing help to local public authorities through technical assistance in order to set 287 reachable goals and targets updated on 3 years basis regarding electrification and internet 288 access; 289 290 b. Implementing regulatory framework to mandate telecommunication and information 291 technology companies to change their lines for wired internet connections every 10 years to 292 keep up with changing technology; 293 294 c. Appealing to nations to enhance the construction of hardware facility and communication 295 lines in rural areas and places with relatively low population density.

Code: UNIDO/1/2 Committee: United Nations Industrial Development Organization Topic: The Role of Information and Communications Technology in Industrial Development

1 The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2 3 Recalling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) (2015), especially Sustainable 4 Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 11, 12, which call for a holistic approach to economic, social and 5 technological progress and reiterates the United Nations commitment to achieving integration of 6 information and communications Technology (ICT) in industrial development, 7 8 Emphasizing the possibilities of using ICTs for reducing environmental impacts of industries by better 9 resource management and the importance of ICTs training to assist in spreading awareness on issues 10 relating to e-cycling and for the youth to developed their entrepreneurship regarding ICT, inspired by the 11 work of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) regarding entrepreneurship 12 development, 13 14 Understanding the definition of e-waste as pertaining to: temperature exchange equipment, screens, 15 lamps, large equipment, small equipment, small information technology and telecommunications 16 equipment, 17 18 Acknowledging the already existing initiatives taken by the UNIDO relating to e-waste management by 19 collaborating with National Cleaner Production Centre, 20 21 Stressing that environmental protection is one of the three pillars of sustainable development, that only 22 20% of electronic devices are being recycled, and that e-waste management is an urgent issue in today’s 23 digitally-dependent world, 24 25 Considering the fact that Canadian researchers from the Enactus group based in the University of 26 Sherbrooke found a way to reuse old electronic devices to create software in an inexpensive way, 27 28 Deeply regretting the inefficiency of current global partnerships between developing and developed 29 countries about e-waste, and the unequal capacities to compete with each other, 30 31 Keeping in mind that the private sector, with companies such as Apple and Microsoft, have developed 32 ways to E-cycle by recycling more than reusing e-waste, 33 34 Recognizing the importance of ICTs for Small- and Medium- Enterprises (SME), especially in Least 35 Developing Countries (LDCs) countries, such as the UNIDO-Microsoft Partnership of the Microsoft 36 Government Leaders Forum Africa, 37 38 Recalling concerns laid out in the Global E-Waste Monitor 2017 Report, concerning ICT uptake and 39 shorter replacement contributing to E-waste growth, 40 41 Being concerned by the fact that developing nations lacking ICT hardware, produce significant quantities 42 of e-waste as a result of being heavily dependent on imports, 43 44 1. Invites developed Member States to send their old electronic devices collected throughout the Waste 45 Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) forum, governmental initiatives and actions from private 46 companies such as Goodwill recycling program with Microsoft and Dell to developing Member States 47 in order to reuse them which will in turn help create software in communities that needs it by: 48 49 a. Encouraging the creation of national legislations to regulate the participation of the private 50 and public sectors; 51 52 b. Building infrastructures in strategic areas such as collect bins in work places and using 53 already existing infrastructures such as bins on university campuses and in electronic collect 54 facilities to be able to collect and send those devices to territories in need; 55 56 c. Finding different ways of funding within the United Nations programs, but also with the private 57 sector and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); 58 59 d. Monitoring by the framework the Industrial Policy for Prosperity; 60 61 e. Putting in place efficient collecting system as suggested below; 62 63 2. Recommends Member States to consider putting in place efficient legislation using circular economy 64 mechanisms and Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in order to collect old 65 devices such as, but not limited to phones and computers by: 66 67 a. Encouraging the private sector to implement the recycling and reusing mechanisms inspired 68 by other initiatives such as the Trade in Apple Giveback; 69 70 b. Setting up bins for the promotion of electronic recycling within cities as many Member States 71 have already established bins; 72 73 c. Financial rebates for industries who have adopted measures to recycle electric products; 74 75 d. Invites Member States to use accountability and monitoring mechanisms within the Internal 76 Oversight Division (IOD) which hold private corporations accountable for failing to take 77 reasonable measures to sustain ICTs according to the Extended Producer Responsibility 78 (EPR) principle; use monitoring systems for better natural resources management, e.g. better 79 water management systems; 80 81 e. Recommends to Member States to set regional minimum standards for all Member States as 82 to the number of electric products that should be recycled annually; 83 84 3. Invites Member States to put forward educational programs, similar to UNIDO’s Capacity 85 Development Programmes, which entail: 86 87 a. The broadening of the United Nations Environment Assembly’s (UNEA) e-waste strategy to 88 reach more LDCs, such as through the promotion of UNEA’s Massive On-line Open Course 89 (MOOC) on e-waste with the encouraged assistance of multi-national partnerships, like that 90 of UNIDO-Japan with the initiative, Partnering for Africa’s Future; 91 92 b. Raising awareness through governmental campaigning; 93 94 c. Educating youth on sustainability and ICTs modelling the UNIDO-Samsung Partnership 95 which seeks to improve skills of youth in handling electronic products and upgrading their 96 repair services in e-waste management, as well as the UNIDO-Hewlett-Packard (HP) Global 97 Partnership Programme which promotes entrepreneurship and ICT Training for youth; 98 99 d. The adoption of collective agreements by corporations with an incentive for them to educate 100 their employees on e-waste; 101 102 e. Establishing e-waste management workshops at the campuses of national universities and 103 on the basis of the governmental organizations in order to raise awareness on how e-waste 104 effects environment; 105 106 f. Looking to the UNIDO Capacity Development Programme for guidance; 107 108 4. Invites Member States to follow the initiatives already taken by Sweden within the Regulation on 109 Producer Responsibility for Electrical and Electronic Equipment being considered of every Member 110 States conjunctures; 111 112 5. Advocates for cooperation between Member States regarding ICTs and e-waste technologies 113 expertise sharing in order to help developing countries by: 114 115 a. Encouraging information technology companies to be part of the effort for a better e-waste 116 management by holding conferences and forums such as the E-SCRAP Conference in order 117 to exchange best practices; 118 119 b. Inviting the private sector to create their own e-recycling initiatives such as the Dell 2020 120 legacy of good plan; 121 122 6. Encourages the collaboration of enterprises and groups within universities such as Enactus in a intent 123 to research new strategies in which ICTs training can broaden cooperation by teaching individuals 124 about creation of new software with e-waste coming similar to Australia’s University of South Wales 125 Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology cycling system monitored by the IOD 126 127 7. Endorses the importance of funding these e-waste initiatives in collaboration with the IMF and the 128 private sector by: 129 130 a. Encouraging Member States to adopt legislation which facilitates foreign investment; 131 132 b. Reaching different UN development programs such as the Programme for Partnership (PCP) 133 funds, which focuses on facilitating inclusive and sustainable industrial development within 134 member states; 135 136 c. Using funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Code: UNIDO/1/3 Committee: United Nations Industrial Development Organization Topic: The Role of Information and Communications Technology in Industrial Development

1 The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2 3 Recalling Article I of the Charter of the United Nations (1945) which fosters the spirit of international 4 cooperation in solving international issues of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, 5 6 Recognizing the importance of upholding SDG 17 by promoting international trade to help developing 7 countries increase their exports as partnerships directly contribute to the achievement of a universal 8 rules-based and equitable trading system that is open, fair, and benefits all, 9 10 Guided by the UNIDO mandate to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial 11 development in Member States as stated in the Lima Declaration: Toward inclusive and sustainable 12 industrial development (2013), 13 14 Keeping in mind General Assembly resolution 70/1 that emphasizes in the importance of industrial 15 development calling upon stakeholders to build and promote resilient infrastructure as well as inclusive 16 and sustainable industrialization, 17 18 Aware of the impact of SMEs on building more resilient and diversified economies as well as their 19 potential in creating innovative and sustainable consumption and production models and build capacity 20 for foreign SMEs, 21 22 Highlighting target 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more specifically section 9.c, to 23 foster industrial development through a strong implementation and use of information and 24 communications technology (ICT), with the purpose to build a resilient infrastructure and to promote 25 inclusive and sustainable industrialization, 26 27 Emphasizing target 10 of the SDGs to guide processes aiming to address disparities between and within 28 countries, 29 30 Taking note of the UNIDO Building E-Competence Report 2008 and the Measuring the Information 31 Society Report Volume 1 2018 to further understand where Member States can improve, 32 33 Recalling the human right on internet access as adopted by the Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2016, as 34 well as on development adopted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 35 Rights (OHCHR) in 1986, 36 37 Recognizing that all Member States have acknowledged the importance of ICT as a decisive necessity for 38 future development thus bear the potential to empower the people of a country and boost economic 39 growth, 40 41 Highlighting the role of ICTs in supporting diversity and cultural expression on the World Summit on the 42 Information Society (WSIS), 43 44 Emphasizing the need to ensure all women and girls are empowered by the International 45 Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) role in ICTs as referred to in ITU’s Resolution 1327, 46 47 Recognizing the importance of the recent paper drafted by the United Nations Industrial Development 48 Organization (UNIDO) on ICTs in 2018, to engage Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) as well 49 as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to facilitated industrial development, 50 51 Acknowledging the disparity in regional development, primarily the disparity in infrastructure between 52 urban and rural areas and the need for affordable ICT-hardware-based worldwide, 53 54 Keeping in mind that although the percent of the world’s population living in urban areas increased by 5%, 55 65% of the world’s population is still predicted to live rurally in 2020, 56 57 Observing of the need to build stronger economic foundations and improve productive capacities 58 especially in least developed countries and rural areas, 59 60 Being alarmed that according to the ITU nowadays still 48.8% of the world population are lacking a fast 61 broadband internet connection which is crucial for effective access to participate in worldwide market- and 62 political discussion, 63 64 Inviting the International community to participate in collaborative conversations between both Least 65 Developed Countries (LDCs) and developed nations on spreading advancements in ICTs specifically 66 hosted by LDCs to ensure their inclusion, 67 68 1. Advocates Member States and regional bodies to work collaboratively to determine areas in which 69 broadband access and infrastructure are inadequate by further promoting mapping initiatives through 70 the establishment of regional digital single markets as well as working with domestic 71 telecommunications networks to find exact areas where broadband is still deficient by using satellites 72 and geospatial analysis of infrastructure by mirroring the EU’s Mapping of Broadband and 73 Infrastructure Study to provide more information on: 74 75 a. Unaffordable access to proper infrastructure that inhibiting local populations from accessing 76 the internet; 77 78 b. The capacity for the area to use existing broadband services, as well as areas needing more 79 infrastructure because developing states, tend to not have affordable broadband connections; 80 81 c. Current investments and funding for broadband infrastructure that can contribute to projects 82 building more infrastructure; 83 84 2. Stresses the importance of using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and Global 85 Positioning Systems (GPS), in analyzing areas when planning for development and encourages 86 Member States to: 87 88 a. Use GIS, remote sensing, and GPS systems at the local, regional and national levels; 89 90 b. Foster awareness of these technologies via public post-secondary institutions; 91 92 c. Reach out to private developers of these technologies in forming partnerships to achieve 93 these goals; 94 95 3. Advocates for Member States to collaborate more with the International Development Research 96 Centre by implementing initiatives similar to the Africa Digital Policy Project to expand internet 97 access, through improved developments, in developing Member States to foster investments in new 98 telecommunication technologies through research in the ICT sector and policy development to 99 establish digital policy frameworks with evidence-based policy making; 100 101 4. Acknowledges that different geographic and social conditions require different technological solutions 102 to provide ICT connections and reduce inequality within and between member states, while 103 developed urban regions may be equipped with fiberglass connections and cellular networks, less- 104 developed rural areas could be covered by satellite- or fiberglass UAV-based internet-accesses; 105 106 5. Requests the Member States to empower cooperation between the national and international air- and 107 space agencies like National Air- and Space-Agency (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), 108 Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) or Austrian Space Agency (ASA) to promote and regulate the 109 peaceful use of outer space for satellite applications; 110 111 6. Invites Member States to invest in innovative companies that focus on using solutions that are based 112 in the sky and in space to increase information, technology, and WiFi through affordable means: 113 114 a. Developing fleets of new generation microsatellites (CubeSats) to provide wireless internet 115 connections, in cooperation with large technology companies like Alphabet or SpaceX, 116 already investing in research and development of such systems: 117 118 i. Launching those satellites with re-usable vehicles to lower the costs on the one hand 119 and increase the sustainability of the procedure on the other hand in Low- and 120 Medium-Earth-Orbits; 121 ii. Using space-control-systems to burn up the satellites in the outer atmosphere at the 122 end of their technical lifetime and avoiding the potential of dangerous space debris; 123 iii. Using consumer-electronics with proven space-capability as a technological basis to 124 decrease the costs of production as well as the barriers for companies to get into the 125 development and production of such small-scale-spacecrafts; 126 iv. Suggesting to the Member States to organize launch, maintenance, and financing of 127 those spacecrafts following the examples of already existing satellite fleets like the 128 American GPS network or the European GALILEO system; 129 v. Organizing the space control in close cooperation with national and international 130 space agencies like NASA, ESA, ASA, or Roscosmos to ensure security, efficiency, 131 and sustainability; 132 133 b. Encouraging Member States to collaborate and consider investing in aerial technological 134 devices that major technology organizations and investors, such as Alphabet, Mitsubishi, 135 Suhail Bahwan Group, RUAG Space and Facebook, are experimenting with to increase 136 access to ICT through affordable means: 137 138 i. Launching unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), such as blimps or drones, while tethered 139 to a platform in order to survive through harsh weather conditions to help provide 140 fixed wireless access, environmental monitoring and agribusiness assistance, 141 disaster recovery and public safety; 142 ii. Using helium-filled blimps, recognizing that helium is an easily accessible resource 143 and one of the most abundant elements in the universe, or drones with a large 144 wingspan and solar-powered electrical drives as emission-free flying antennas; 145 iii. Suspending the UAVs on GPS-tracked routes over the regions to be covered with 146 broadband, high-speed-internet-accesses in heights between a few hundred and 147 thousand meters, controlled by self-rotating earthborn stations via wireless 148 communication; 149 iv. Using consumer electronics as the main source of technology to make the 150 development affordable and accessible; 151 v. Using the latest standards of wireless communication because it will achieve the 152 highest possible bandwidth and speed of communication in order to guarantee a 153 relatively long technical lifespan for the vehicles and reduce the ecological burden of 154 too quick replacement as new applications in the future will need better connections; 155 vi. Applying modifications and upgrades through maintenance on the ground station; 156 vii. Encouraging local and national cell service and internet providers to incorporate this 157 technology in their businesses; 158 159 7. Draws attention to the importance of adequate broadband and internet access in order to boost 160 telemedicine networks, telecommunications, e-banking, and e-commerce to bridge gaps between 161 rural and urban areas by citing Samasource, a non-profit business, that reduces global poverty by 162 providing digital work to unemployed woman, refugees and youth in impoverished countries as well 163 as gives them the opportunity to engage in dignified, digitally-based work by training them in basic 164 computer skills, enabling them to do digitally based work for a company thousands miles away; 165 166 8. Encourages Member States to include public-private partnerships in the area of ICTs based from 167 space to promote competition on the ICT market in order to decrease ICT prices and to make them 168 available for all and encouraging them to create programs that foster best practice sharing and 169 cooperation among varying institutions, similar to the Polish Kampus + Initiative that creates an 170 institution to promote collaboration between academic and private institutions: 171 172 a. Along with the cooperation of private companies such as Ruag Space, Magna Aerospace, 173 Sputnix, and ICT Switzerland; 174 175 b. Along with cooperation of public institutions, such as the European Space Agency, the ITU, 176 the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the European Development 177 Agency; 178 179 c. Along with academic institutions, such as technical universities, across the globe; 180 181 9. Emphasizes the importance of empowering SMEs through access to ICTs, through the 182 implementation of governmental Venture-Capital-Funds with initiatives in conjunction with the 183 International Trade Center modeled after the Partnership for Investment and Growth in Africa (PIGA) 184 to encourages foreign businesses to invest in the economy and create mutually beneficial 185 relationships between LDCs and developed countries; 186 187 10. Calls upon regional bodies to establish annual regional conferences hosted in LDCs, similar to the 188 2017 E-Nigeria Conference, where Private ICT companies can work with SMEs to share 189 technological advancements while educating local community leaders on upcoming regional 190 programs for ICT development; 191 192 11. Indorses all Member States to consider the expert knowledge of the ITU and seek the ITU’s guidance 193 to consult and help Member States to implement ICT systems in order promote best practice sharing: 194 195 a. Consisting of active representatives of the local governments in the Member States; 196 197 b. Applying expertise consultation with respect to the planning, implementation, and 198 maintenance of ICT systems; 199 200 c. Encouraging partnerships and cooperation with qualified NGOs, e.g. IICD (Kenya), W.TEC 201 (Nigeria), or Singapore Internet Research Centre (SiRC); 202 203 12. Increases access to the local and global work market through agencies that provide a means for 204 skilled workers to find meaningful employment that can potentially reduce the poverty gap and 205 inequality: 206 207 a. Assisting universities in introducing programs that assist students looking to enter in-demand 208 fields within the ICT industry; 209 210 b. Advancing fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by 211 encouraging and increasing research development and technology facilities; 212 213 c. Also allowing skilled workers to work remotely to avoid the continuation of brain drain; 214 215 d. Improving and fostering communication with universities that exist in areas with low 216 undergraduate and graduate employment rates due to lack of job fields; 217 218 e. Locating untapped potential of talent in rural and underdeveloped areas that lack 219 infrastructure and knowledge of opportunities by connecting these areas with existing and 220 successful technologies, as well as new innovative ideas; 221 222 13. Supports the inclusion of ICT specific hubs within the UNIDO Program for Country Partnerships by 223 requesting developing countries and LDCs to foster initiatives similar to the KZN Industrial Hubs 224 Project in South Africa and Saudi Arabia as a model for implementation, through streamlined 225 communication with the Chief Information Technology Officer, and using these hubs to: 226 227 a. Extend the existing ICT specific entrepreneurial training to include programming workshops, 228 technical engineering to establish skilled human capital and proper recycling of e-waste; 229 230 b. Expand the idea of shared technological devices by using them as platforms for the 231 organization of dynamic exchanges; 232 233 c. Achieve more interconnected rural areas within 10 years, including biannual progress reports 234 from the ITU; 235 236 14. Appeals to developed countries to promote sustainable development by donating obsolete hardware 237 to developing countries or regions, through NGOs similar to The Five North Project, to increase 238 universal and affordable access to ICTs by providing training within ICT maintenance and open 239 source software usage to facilitate a technology knowledge transfer of ICTs beginning with educators 240 in primary and secondary institutions within Ghana in order to bridge the digital divide; 241 242 15. Invites developing States and LDCs to utilize the Communications Coordination Committee for the 243 United Nations Global Student Voice newsletters to facilitate the spread of Electronic and Mobile 244 Learning, (E & M Learning) strategies in conjunction with Masr Works Youth Center which facilitates 245 youth learning through industrialized centers for employability and training for entrepreneurs as well 246 as providing them with electronic devices and portable technologies to empower youth through on- 247 demand access and interactive and multi-mode knowledge for ICTs as well as Open and Distance 248 Learning Programs that promote lifelong learning by allowing adults to work on their own time to 249 bolster their skills in ICT usage and maintenance; 250 251 16. Encourages Member States to model initiatives after the ICT for Women in Nubia working with the 252 Integrated Rural Development Program to establish Tele-Clinics and future development for 253 Telecommunication Centers in rural communities, specifically LDCs, where ICT proficient individuals 254 will be able to train students in ICTs and entrepreneurship, through provision from ICT companies 255 similar to Souq which provides industry access to local SMEs through trusted platforms that use 256 integrated methods of delivery and innovative and local payment methods; 257 258 17. Requests that UNIDO’s Office of Evaluation and Internal Oversight include a specific section of 259 Member States’ ICT progress within the existing Independent Country Program Evaluations in order 260 to highlight the importance of the sector and allow for easy access to information for stakeholders.

Code: UNIDO/1/4 Committee: United Nations Industrial Development Organization Topic: The Role of Information and Communications Technology in Industrial Development

1 The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2 3 Guided by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations adopted in 1945, which proclaimed the 4 establishment of the international organization, especially Articles 55 and 56 which stated the necessity to 5 promote global cooperation in the modern society, 6 7 Noting with gratitude General Assembly resolution 70/1 titled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda 8 for Sustainable Development”, which introduced 17 universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 towards sustainable future for all, 10 11 Highly appreciating SDG 4 which is calling upon achievement of quality education for all, SDG 8 which is 12 focused on sustainable economic growth for all, SDG 9 which outlined the importance of industry, 13 innovation and infrastructure for sustainable development and SDG 17 which is calling upon promotion of 14 global cooperation between Member States and businesses, 15 16 Reiterating its desire to see the Member States developing plans and strategies for industrialization 17 through the Lima Declaration and Plan of Action on Industrial Development and Cooperation (Lima 18 Declaration) (1975), 19 20 Acknowledging General Assembly resolutions 72/200 and 73/218 which are calling to provide assistance 21 to developing countries with the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in 22 everyday activities, 23 24 Keeping in mind the goals of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) adopted by the UN 25 General Assembly in 1995 which included guidelines for Member States for national action and global 26 support towards improvement of young people`s situation around the world, especially with the main 27 focus on providing equal access of education for youth via usage of ICT, 28 29 Noting the work of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) which acts as an important actor of 30 telecommunication in the modern society and conducts the studies towards implementation of ICT in the 31 Member States, 32 33 Paying gratitude to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Knowledge Management 34 Strategy Framework 2014-2017 which was aimed to build capacities and promote global knowledge- 35 sharing among the Member States, 36 37 Appreciating the partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 38 and Microsoft Company and as a result of it the establishment of Uganda Green Computer Company in 39 2009 and on its basis of the company the creation of ICT training center, 40 41 Highly welcoming the initiative of UNIDO and HP called HP Foundation’s Learning Initiative for 42 Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) which is focused to promote skills among young generation on how to start and 43 manage businesses via the usage of ICT, 44 45 Inspired by the work of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Swedish Programme for ICT in 46 Developing Regions (SPIDER) which is aimed to improve accountability, education, and health in 47 developing regions via the establishment of collaboration, knowledge sharing and capacity building 48 between regions through networks globally, 49 50 1. Invites the ITU`s experts to conduct research in Member States which are using national ID-cards to 51 explore the difficulties faced by the Member States with the integration of e-government systems 52 around the world and assist Member States in implementing the ITU Identity Roadmap Guide: 53 54 a. Following the results of the report, the necessity of the creation of an e-government training 55 module for the Member States who wish to proceed implementation of this initiative would be 56 discussed at the meeting of Industrial Development Board of UNIDO; 57 58 b. The module would be focused on teaching people to use e-resources of Member States in 59 order to reduce bureaucratic administrative procedures similar to Poland’s Paperless & 60 Cashless Society Program, which works with various ministries to digitize assets; 61 62 c. Asking the ITU to offer policy suggestions for the Member States to promote digitization 63 domestically; 64 65 2. Encourages Member States, especially developing countries to promote skills of children in ICT 66 sphere in primary and secondary schools to build long-term technology readiness within the best of 67 their capacities by: 68 69 a. Providing digital devices like whiteboards, interactive smart desks, and tablets for schools as 70 well as innovative digital methods such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) via 71 cooperation with private enterprises; 72 73 b. Offering to expand the courses of HP LIFE to regular classes in order to promote 74 competences of the young generation in the ICT sphere; 75 76 c. Teaching primary school students in media literacy to provide them with the skills to better 77 deal with social and mass media, sensitize students for fake news, advertisement strategies 78 and photo manipulation; 79 80 3. Recommends to present Green Computer Company of Uganda, which focuses on the creation of ICT 81 training centers and reusing computers, as a part of UNIDO’s General Conference and discuss the 82 possibility of meeting with other experts which would evaluate the necessity for such initiatives with 83 the goal of ICT promotion in rural areas in the perspective to expand this program further to other 84 regions; 85 86 4. Also recommends the collaboration between UNIDO and the UNDP Knowledge Management 87 Strategy Framework in order to promote further collaboration between Member States in the field of 88 ICT knowledge-sharing with the goal to enhance the level of technical literacy among countries; 89 90 5. Encourages Member States to provide support to NGOs which have the same framework direction as 91 SPIDER does, and in the perspective of improving global cooperation in ICT knowledge sharing, such 92 as: 93 94 a. Provision of educational facilities for the regions with limited access to ICT facilities; 95 96 b. Transparency and accountability towards implementation of SDGs in every region; 97 98 c. ICT regulation policies and practices for greater cooperation between NGOs and 99 governments.